November election the stuff aspirations are made of

First off, I admired the current Republican presidential candidate when he ran in 2000. He ignited the dissident in me. He lost, but I admit to voting Republican anyway.

This time I'm voting for his Democratic opponent. He ignites the idealist in me.

Think back to when the teacher asked what we wanted to become when we grew up.

The answers probably haven't changed much, except that time and wisdom has made them gender-neutral. In my day, it was "I want to be a policeman," "I want to be a fireman," or "I want to be PRESIDENT."

Not simply childhood dreams. They were aspirations.

My class, in fact the elementary school I attended was -- excepting for an occasional Mexican (in the pre-Hispanic days) -- all white.

And, as I remember it, so was the police force.
And the fire department.

And the presidents.

Not that any of us were thinking that our skin color made a difference in who we eventually would become, but the fact is that we, like any species, are drawn to the familiar. Babies quickly develop racial preferences. Children and teenagers join cliques. Adults affiliate with political parties -- or worse.

Point is, as children we want to emulate individuals we see as authoritative and good. In my world at that time, whites held the majority of those positions. In many cases, they still do.

I can't help but wonder whether a minority student would have responded with the innocent optimism my classmates did. It's easy to say we're all Americans and that we all have the same shot at success. Except that we don't. Racial prejudice remains an enduring legacy of our country's founding, and there's no denying minorities have suffered socially, physically, economically as a result.

Which brings me to this presidential election. With each new generation our prejudices slowly ebb, but next week our country has a real chance at a sea change. My hoped-for outcome won't end racial animosity, but this election is bigger than the usual hand-wringing about which party controls which levers and whose ox is going to get gored.

Children should look up to figures of authority, and all should grow up believing they can become the people they idolize. That is why this election matters so much. Never underestimate the power of aspiration.